Trump rejects spending bill, triggering possible shutdown – DW – December 19, 2024

Donald Trump urged Republicans on Wednesday to reject a bipartisan plan aimed at averting a government shutdown, leaving Congress reeling as lawmakers prepare to head home for the holiday season.

The about-face means Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans must try to renegotiate a new deal or face a deadlock when federal funding ends on Friday.

Trump and incoming Vice President JD Vance released a statement Wednesday urging Republicans to “get smart and get tough.”

“When Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then call it a bluff,” the statement said, adding that any concessions would be seen as “a betrayal of our country”.

Democrats were outraged by this latest move by Trump, who proposed raising the debt limit – something his party has consistently railed against – to avert a crisis.

Democrats – “If you break it, you are responsible for the consequences”

Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, “Republicans have been ordered to shut down the government and hurt the working people they claim to support.”

GOP support for the bill had already begun to weaken before Trump got involved. Far-right lawmakers and billionaire Trump donor and unelected government influencer Elon Musk threatened any Republicans who dared to work with Democrats to keep the government running.

Musk – whom Trump appointed to head the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which would, among other things, give the world’s richest man a mandate to cut funding for government oversight and regulation – wrote on Media platform says: “Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in two years!”

The so-called continuing resolution, or CR, currently on the table would temporarily extend funding until March 14, 2025. The move is necessary as lawmakers have failed to pass laws to maintain normal operations during their term.

Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland has been outspoken in his criticism of Republicans’ recent risky policies, saying this is what happens when “an oligarchy of a handful of wealthy people runs everything and everyone is supposed to live in fear of them and their wealth.” “becomes an instrument of power over everything.”

js/jsi (AFP, AP)